Higher Ground by Becky Black (notion reading list txt) 📗

their conversation was so dull. The last time he’d tagged along, he’d tried to start a discussion of the exciting new paper about crustal stretching, but they were more interested in talking about who was sleeping with whom.

“See you later, then, Zach Benesh.”

“See you later, Adam…?” He left the question hanging.

“Gray.”

“Adam Gray.” Nice name. And hardly appropriate. Nothing gray about this man.

In the spirit of playing it cool, he didn’t let the grin break out on his face until he’d retrieved his bike, its engine still humming quietly, from where it lay and zipped off up the road.

* * * *

The feeling of someone staring at him made Adam look up to see Zach standing in the doorway from the bar onto the Dome Bar’s terrace. He had a wary expression on his face, looking as if he’d bolt any second. Adam smiled and waved to him to join the group, but Zach didn’t move.

Wasn’t he going to come over? An odd bird, this Zach Benesh. He’d come on bold as brass in the test fields, but now he looked like a startled deer about to flee. Well, if Zach wouldn’t come to him, he’d go to Zach. Taking his drink with him, he squeezed past Jan on his right, pretending to flinch away as if she’d grabbed his ass. She swatted her hand after him, calling him an idiot and laughing.

At least Zach didn’t run away when Adam approached. He smiled, looking relieved.

“Hi, Zach, nice to see you. Come and sit with us.” Adam gestured at the table he’d left, with about a dozen of his colleagues and friends clustered around it and no doubt watching him with prurient interest.

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“Oh, we’re very easy.” But he didn’t press the point. Maybe Zach didn’t like crowds. Or maybe he would prefer to be alone with Adam. Couldn’t object to that. “Okay, stop blocking the door up at least. Come on.”

He led Zach off the terrace and into the garden to sit on a bench. Zach relaxed at once. Had to be the crowds he didn’t like.

“Nice out here,” Adam said. “Smell that grass, huh?” The scent of the sweet grass filled the evening air.

“Yes, very fragrant.”

“It’s native to Syria back home. Hard to grow even there, but you can’t stop it growing here.”

“It’s beautiful. The whole colony is, the whole island. When I came here, I thought it would be…well, a rock.”

“You wouldn’t have minded rocks, though, would you? You’re a geologist, right?” Zach might be in a different department, but Adam knew about him. Word got around about a man people said was a genius.

“Geophysicist, actually.” Zach shook his head, looking self-conscious. “Ah, yes, though, that’s like a geologist.”

Adam almost said he understood the distinction and then stopped and thought about their interaction so far. Oh! He smiled.

“So how long have you been here, Zach?”

“Five months.”

“I’ve been here just over a year.”

“Oh, I thought you might be a native.”

Adam knew why. Mostly it was people born here in the colony who did the jobs that kept the place running, while specialist scientists came from Earth under contract to the Terraforming Authority.

“You think I’m a gardener, don’t you?” Adam said.

“Um, you’re not?”

“I’m a botanist.”

Zach looked utterly mortified, and Adam could barely keep from laughing out loud.

“I’m a doctoral candidate,” he went on. “I’m running experiments on varieties of food crops, finishing up my thesis while working for the Institute.”

“I’m so sorry. I made an assumption.”

“Given the way I was dressed and what I was doing every time you saw me, of course you did. Heck, in my blood, I am a gardener. My parents have a landscape gardening business back on Earth. But I took more of an interest in the scientific side.”

“Ah, and got an assignment with the Terraforming Authority to come to Ethris.”

“That’s right. The thought of making an alien world that used to be barren bloom is exciting enough not to mind seeing home for a few years.”

“So you’ve signed on long-term?”

“Five years. You?”

“Two but with an option to renew.”

Maybe Adam would give him a reason to renew. Zach’s mortified expression when he thought he’d offended Adam had been delightful. It spoke of someone who didn’t want to hurt anyone else. And with his shiny black hair, nice face… Okay, his nose might be a little on the prominent side, but nobody was perfect. He was as tall as Adam but lean and rangy. A little too pale, though; he needed more sun. Adam would like to take him for a few field trips around the island. But his eyes, dark, deep-set, long-lashed, oh, Adam could look into those for hours. He sipped his beer to cool himself off.

“I’m quite relieved, actually,” Zach said. “That you’re not a gardener, I mean. I feel we have more in common and a better chance of personal compatibility. I’m interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with you.”

Adam choked into his beer. He came up spluttering and gasped out, “What?”

“Oh.” Zach closed down. He backed off a small distance, and a shutter seemed to come down over his eyes. “I understand. I’m sorry to trouble you. I’ll go.” He stood, and Adam grabbed for his arm to stop him.

“No, wait, sit down. You just took me by surprise. Most people aren’t quite so formal about declaring their interest.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not much good at small talk.” Zach sat down again.

“I thought you were doing fine. But anyway, I guess I have to answer you, don’t I?” He would find it hard to be as straightforward. Zach doing it had a certain charm, but for him to do the same would feel crude. He was good at small talk.

“Could we start with dinner together?” Zach asked.

“Sure. But not tonight.”

The eager look on Zach’s face vanished.

“I can’t ditch my friends,” Adam said. “And if you don’t want to join us…”

He shook his head. “I’m not good at crowds.”

“We’ll arrange something later, then. Give me your contact details.” They both got